Friday, January 04, 2013
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As 2013 came in, so did the 97th General Assembly. Most of the members of the Illinois Senate returned to what many thought would be a "wide open" drag race to the end. The House of Representatives isn't scheduled to return until Sunday, January 6th, and be in session through Tuesday, January 8th. The new 98th General Assembly is scheduled to be sworn in on Wednesday, January 9th at noon, so there are only a few days left for action.
In the weeks over the Christmas and New Year holiday, rumors ran wild as to what was going to be addressed. There were calls for state pension system reform, gaming expansion, legalizing same sex marriage, gun registration and sales limitations, and a host of other issues. When the Senate returned, it became quickly apparent that the General Assembly was not going to tackle total reform of the state employee retirement system. The two most controversial issues that did gain traction included a package of bills to limit gun ownership and legalize same sex marriage. Late yesterday, it was obvious that the sponsors of both proposals were short the votes necessary for passage. So no final action has been taken so far.
The Senate may return next Tuesday, January 8th, for possible additional action and to consider items the House may take action upon. So hang on, it is not over yet.
A pair of bills, HB 815 & HB 1263, were amended with proposals to restrict the use and sale of certain types of firearms. HB 815 would limit the ownership and use of large capacity ammunition feeding devices on and after January 1, 2014. A large capacity ammunition-feeding device is defined as a magazine, belt, drum, feed strip, or similar device holding more than 10 rounds. The bill would exempt those large ammunition-feeding devices owned prior to January 1, 2014 if the owner registers the ownership of the device with the Illinois State Police. It also allows the ownership of these types of devices by law enforcement and shooting ranges. Shooting ranges could lease these to patrons on their property for use on the range.
The second bill, HB 1263, would ban assault weapons, .50 caliber rifles, and other custom/special firearms. The bill also places strict criminal penalties for those who possess these types of firearms. Like HB 815, this bill would exempt those assault weapons owned prior to January 1, 2014 if the owner registers the ownership of the weapon with the Illinois State Police. HB 1263 also allows law enforcement and shooting ranges to possess the proposed banned firearms. Shooting ranges could lease assault weapons and other custom/special firearms to their patrons for use on their premises only.
The Senate took no floor action on these two bills, but could during the Tuesday, January 8th session if they return. IFB opposes HB 815 & HB 1263. Both bills are on 3rd Reading in the Senate.
An amendment was introduced to legalize marriage between same sex individuals. The amendment, which was proposed to both HB 5655 and HB 4963, would grant the same legal status to same sex married couples as to male and female married couples. The bill would also allow same sex married couples in another state to be legally recognized in Illinois. The bill further states that religious denominations are not required to "solemnize any marriage."
The original amendment to HB 5655 did not receive enough votes to overcome a procedural challenge so the bill could be heard in committee. The sponsor then filed the amendment to HB 4963. The amendment to HB 4963 was heard in the Senate Executive committee. The Executive committee then recommended the amendment for approval with a vote of 8 yes and 5 no.
Discussions throughout the state house indicated that there were not sufficient votes for the sponsor to successfully gain passage of the proposal on the Senate floor. Following the Senate Executive committee's vote on the amendment, the sponsor announced she would not be calling the bill on the floor at this time, but may do so if the Senate returns on January 8th. IFB opposes the same sex marriage proposal (Senate Amendment #2 to HB 4963).
An amendment was floated this week to divert funds promised to the Thoroughbred and Standardbred Breeders from the gaming expansion bill passed several years ago. When the General Assembly approved legislation to create the 10th riverboat gambling license, a portion of the funds generated from that action was placed into a fund to be used by the Thoroughbred and Standardbred Breeders. $88 million was placed into this fund and was never appropriated.
The Senate Executive committee debated Senate Amendment #2 to HB 4466, but did not recommend for adoption an amendment to transfer $70.4 million of the $88 million to the Build Illinois Fund to be used by the Chicago Public School system for construction grants. In a parallel appropriation bill, one half of the funds would be transferred directly to the Chicago Public School system to be used at its discretion and the other one-half would be transferred to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for distribution to CPS projects.
Opponents of the legislation expect that the bill will be revisited when the Senate returns next week.
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